U.S. first-name statistics

How common is Joan?

Joan was the #165 most frequent first name in the 2020 Census.

People with the first name Joan

306,627

About 1 in 1,081 Americans had this first name in the 2020 Census.

Measured, privacy-protected national Census count—not a total of historical baby-name records.

National rank

#165

More common than 99.7% of listed first names

Peak year

1932

21,132 SSA-recorded births

2025 births

454

#1,255 across first names

Census frequency

1 in 1,081

Across the 2020 U.S. population

Sex distribution

Reported in the 2020 Census first-name table.

3.2% male96.8% female

Demographic distribution

Aggregated race and Hispanic-origin reporting in the 2020 Census name table.

White, non-Hispanic87.5%
Black, non-Hispanic5.71%
American Indian / Alaska Native0.30%
Asian / Pacific Islander1.73%
Two or more races1.16%
Hispanic or Latino3.63%

Reading the result

Joan across two different records

The Census count answers “how many people had this name?” using a national snapshot of living residents in 2020. The SSA series answers “when was this name popular?” using Social Security card applications associated with births.

Joan reached its highest published annual SSA count in 1932, with 21,132 recorded births. In 2025, SSA recorded 454 babies with the name.

Names do not determine a person’s identity. Demographic percentages above describe national aggregates and should never be applied to an individual.

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